Signing off the 2024 ‘Democracy Day’ celebration is the Make Music Lagos 2024, which is a global celebration of Fête de la Musique in Lagos.
The global celebration of music known as Fête de la Musique, founded in France in 1982, has since grown to be celebrated in over 1,000 cities across 120 countries worldwide, including Lagos, Nigeria.
The event unites music creators, professionals, and enthusiasts alike in a full week of concerts, workshops, and networking opportunities, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Nigerian music on a global stage
“Make Music Lagos is a melting pot of unity and harmony, showcasing Nigerian culture to the World. Make Music Lagos is promoting Nigerian music and culture on a global stage, showing the world the vibrancy, talent, and creative spirit of our nation through this extraordinary music festival,” Adeola Akinyemi, project lead, Make Music Lagos, said while commenting on the opening event.
She stated that the annual event is unifying Nigerians through music, bringing people together from all walks of life, transcending barriers of language, culture, and background. According to her, this year’s edition of Make Music Lagos will feature a diverse array of events, including concerts, open-mic sessions, music production workshops, and online performances spread across Lagos.
Akinyemi disclosed that emerging and established artists from various genres will grace the stages, captivating audiences with their soul-stirring melodies, infectious rhythms, and electrifying performances.
According to her, the festival aims to bring together music lovers, industry professionals, and artists’ alike, fostering collaboration, inspiration, and growth. “We especially thank our partners who have collaborated with us to make this edition a success.
“Their support and involvement will undoubtedly elevate the festival to new heights, enabling us to showcase the incredible talent and creativity that Nigeria’s music scene has to offer. Together, we will celebrate the power of music and nurture a thriving industry,” Akinyemi said.
According to her, the anticipated annual celebration of the World Music Day is set to captivate audiences once again as Make Music Lagos, returns for its ninth edition from 13 to 21 June.
She disclosed that this year’s event is in collaboration with the Alliance Francaise de Lagos and it promises to be the biggest and most exciting yet, with a star-studded lineup of performances, immersive workshops, and insightful panel discussions on collaborations and partnerships that can have immense benefits to all stakeholders within and outside the music industry.
The festival will feature My Song is Your Song, a global song swap in which music creators all across the world will swap songs based on interest or genre. Artists will then produce a cover of each other’s song and post the cover on the World Music Day, June 21 online. This initiative allows for international collaboration of artists to try out new songs and new languages and is in collaboration with the global Make Music Alliance.
On June 16th, Pop-Up-Worship, a gospel concert, will be held at the University of Lagos Main Auditorium. A rich line of artists such as Hope Nwani, Ademola Makinde, Favour Ojo, Steph Ade, IBQuake, SaxVee, Ellie Scotte amongst others are set to perform.
June 19th, Music Business Conference will be held at Alliance Francaise, Ikoyi with the theme ‘Music Without Borders: Navigating the Global Music Landscape.’ It will be a time of sharing valuable insights and networking opportunities for music professionals, featuring impactful panel sessions, questions and answer sessions with top industry executives, masterclasses, networking sessions amongst others.
Industry experts are expected to share insights and discuss how stakeholders in the industry and other related industries can collaborate and create mutual growth and benefits. Efe Omorogbe; co-founder at Hypertek Digital/960 Music Group is the keynote speaker for the day while other speakers include Tyrone Grandeur, Senior A & R Rep, ONErpm; Funbi Olarinde, Head of Programming/Library Megalectrics; Bizzle Osikoya; co-founder, Plug Entertainment, Oyinkansola Fawehinmi; Entertainment Lawyer, Oladotun Osafile; Head Event Project Titanium Productions Ventures, Femi Aribisala; Global Marketing Manager, Mavin Records amongst others. Sola “Schullzz” Mogaji; Radio presenter and curator, Joey Akan; Founder, Afrobeats Intelligence will moderate the event.
In the early hours of June 21st, Learn To Play will be held at Alliance Francaise de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi. The goal is to provide a platform for individuals with interest in certain musical instruments to learn the basics in a fun way over a short session. We will have musical experts teach participants on local drums, drum sets and keyboard.
The grand finale of the Fête de la Musique is held on the World Music Day, June 21st, at Onikan stadium. The highlights are Pulsations, Battle of Band finale, Mass Appeal, and Music Performances.
In partnership between the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad, the Arab World Institute, and the Make Music Alliance, musicians around the world will unite their music, and their hearts, through a rhythmic relay. Each band will perform a 10-minute set, ending with a heartbeat rhythm composed by French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf.
“Music business thrives on key conversations such as these which provide a timely opportunity to maximize the current global takeover of the Nigerian music industry,” Wale Adeyemi, another organising partner and team lead of this year’s Music Business Conference, said.
The rhythm will connect the performances across continents, symbolizing the unity of the global music community, starting in New Zealand and traveling through Asia, Nigeria, the Americas,Europe and ending in Paris. This unique event will showcase Nigerian music and culture on the global platform of the World Music Day. Nigeria is represented by Johnny Drille & Clayrocks and the music is produced by award winning producer; Rotimikeys.
The final round of the Battle of the Band will see the top 3 finalists; The Recurrence, D’Elite Men and Ikorodu Pleiadians will battle for the top band position and the audience will vote for their favorite band.
The Mass Appeal performance will showcase 100 musicians performing original music created by French Producer; Fatbabs and Nigerian song writer; Johnny Drille. The Large ensemble will be directed by producer and music director StephAde.
The finale event will end with performances from talented artists like Khemmysings, Sunday Ekpo, FemiLeye and many more. Make Music Lagos 2023 is made possible by collaboration with leading organizations, such as Alliance Francaise de Lagos,
The French Embassy, Showgear Limited, Zannoza Entertainment, Creative Cultura, Porch Music Box, Stage Africa Media, and other media partners such as African Movie Channel, TraceTV, Hi-Impact TV, Vybz FM, Trace Gospel, amongst others, showcasing the festival’s commitment to fostering a vibrant music ecosystem.
